100,000 laptops for youth scheme cost Rs16.80b

Procurement done through open bidding, Senate told

ISLAMABAD:

Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar on Thursday informed the Senate that under the PM Youth Laptop Scheme-IV, 100,000 laptops have been procured at a total cost of Rs16,801.230 million.

Replying to various questions during questions hour, the minister said the laptops were procured through an open competitive bidding process in accordance with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules. The entire procurement process was conducted transparently and competitively, and in full compliance with PPRA regulations, she added.

She said the quota for Balochistan had been increased from 14 per cent to 18 per cent under the PM Laptop Scheme, while five per cent share (2.5 per cent each) had been allocated to Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and the Virtual University (VU).

Responding to another question, the state minister said the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) had already advertised 565 vacant teaching posts of different cadres through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) for regular recruitment, and the process was underway as per the prescribed procedure.

Evening shifts had also been introduced in various institutions due to increased student enrolment and population growth in the federal capital, she added.

She said a separate package was also being provided to staff teaching during the evening shift, adding that local teachers had also been engaged for this purpose.

The minister said 12 new institutions had been established and a letter had been written to the Ministry of Finance seeking sanction for teacher posts.

To a separate question, she said the government had taken several initiatives to address the issue of out-of-school children within the jurisdiction of the federal capital. As per the 7th Population Census, the total number of out-of-school children in the country stood at 25.73 million, she added.